It’s that time of year again

[Stavross 15,322]

Well it comes round quicker every year, with the birds due to go in after the weekend I’ve been up to the shoot to sort the electric fences out, with us been a small shoot and not having a full time keeper our birds go in a bit older and a good few weeks later than the larger shoots, all that’s left to do now is the fresh water and now the oilseed rape is down sort the foxes out between the 3 of us that shoot them up here, the lad on next doors shoot is out tonight and it’s my turn tomorrow, over the end of winter and into early spring, forestry have been thinning the timber out over much of the shoot and it has completely changed the lay of the land, I walked around part of it today and around the farm I think this will be a good thing as on most drives the birds will be getting up a lot sooner than they did allowing them to get some real height and should give some real testing shots, over the other side of the shoot they have removed every 4th or 5th row on a large plantation block and this has completely changed how we will be able to shoot this side, I think a few of us will have to have a sit down to decide how we go about this, maybe once the birds are out the pen they will let us know where they want to be and we can work the drives out around that, anyway I’m sure these things will work themselves out and with a bit of luck we will have a season like last year

[Deker 3,478]

That first pic looks just like one of my shoots, but I guess a cut through pines looks pretty similar all round the country!

Edited August 8, 2019 by Deker

[Stavross 15,322]

In the 8 years or so that I’ve been involved in this shoot I’ve never seen it change as much as it has over the last two seasons, the amount of timber that has been removed over a short space of time is unbelievable 

[David.evans 5,323]

I don’t know stav if that’s a good thing or bad At least you’ll get a few shots off on the Fox I would have thought and the rape looks very inviting mate 

atb 

[Stavross 15,322]

39 minutes ago, David.evans said:

I don’t know stav if that’s a good thing or bad At least you’ll get a few shots off on the Fox I would have thought and the rape looks very inviting mate 

atb 

I’m not sure myself, I think if we have a mild winter they will stay around but if it’s cold I think they will wander for the deeper cover on the boundary of next doors shoot where we have lost birds in the past, this is of course all just speculation as they will always do the opposite of what you think they will do

with a bit of luck them gingers will be making the most of that cut rape over the next few nights

[David.evans 5,323]

To right mate that’s where I got them 3 , cut rape 

im sure you will do well . Don’t forget the butto call for the cubs , or cat meat 

atb mate 

[Stavross 15,322]

Fingers crossed we can draw a few from the plantation into the stubble, I’ll definitely be giving the butto call a go, I’ve only managed a couple of cubs up there this year so there’s definitely a few still about, I’m taking longshanx with me tomorrow night for no other reason than the flies get to him all the way up there before they reach me don’t forget something to cover your head long one them flies are mental up there this time of year ?

[David.evans 5,323]

And I thought he was your mate 

bad man stav lol  

atb 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

That rape stubble looks long . It’s a nightmare when they leave long patches of stubble. I’ve had my share of misses on easy foxes in that stuff . My advice would be to forget a light ballistic tip and go for a heavy soft point . It may make all the difference. ATB

[Stavross 15,322]

1 hour ago, shovel leaner said:

That rape stubble looks long . It’s a nightmare when they leave long patches of stubble. I’ve had my share of misses on easy foxes in that stuff . My advice would be to forget a light ballistic tip and go for a heavy soft point . It may make all the difference. ATB

It is really long out in the field but short around the edges, we also have a big field of cut barley next to the rape stubble that would be ideal to draw them into and it still has the bails in it to shoot from

failing that we could take longshanx.308 with the FMJ’s, that’s a joke long one, we and not turning this into a war movie

[shovel leaner 7,650]

8 minutes ago, Stavross said:

It is really long out in the field but short around the edges, we also have a big field of cut barley next to the rape stubble that would be ideal to draw them into and it still has the bails in it to shoot from

failing that we could take longshanx.308 with the FMJ’s, that’s a joke long one, we and not turning this into a war movie

Good luck . I’m waiting on the wheat harvest here. They reckon it’s about a week and a half away. I’ve not seen a fox or had any problems with them for ages now ( touch wood ) I hammered the cubs early, killed mum and dad and removed the cubs . I had five litters on the estate that I knew of and it’s certainly paid off this year . It’s no fun from a shooting perspective cos I’m itching to pull the trigger, but I’ve always got the chicken farm. It’s amazing how settled the poults are around the pens and in the cover without those ginger C@@ts hassling them . Still I can’t rest on my laurels just yet , I’ve no doubt one will turn up and make his presence known, then in Al Pacino ( scarface ) style “say hello to my little friend “!!! You have to have seen the film to get that .

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Well it's different for me.

I have shoots all around me but being a loner and anti social weirdo I just keep on top of vermin and then I get birds walking of shoots looking for peace.

I do have some wild birds on me but their young get hammered by buzzards and fox's. I have to hope a few fresh hens appear and settle in the wild ones and just take the cocks.

No I don't get any driven birds but I still get to hunt them with my dog and often with flint or cap lock which makes it special.

So thanks gents for the odd bird or two 

[Stavross 15,322]

That’s the game shooting I like, I’d take a day walked up ruff shooting over driven any day, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy a day or two on the drive pheasant but what I do like is running the beaters, understanding where the birds will be and where they will go and putting proper sporting birds over the guns, something I also like to do now and then is give my stand to a guest preferably to someone who has never shot anywhere like our shoot or has never shot driven birds, doing this has ment I’ve met some cracking people and has given me some cracking shooting experiences that I otherwise probably would never have had

[shovel leaner 7,650]

26 minutes ago, Stavross said:

That’s the game shooting I like, I’d take a day walked up ruff shooting over driven any day, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy a day or two on the drive pheasant but what I do like is running the beaters, understanding where the birds will be and where they will go and putting proper sporting birds over the guns, something I also like to do now and then is give my stand to a guest preferably to someone who has never shot anywhere like our shoot or has never shot driven birds, doing this has ment I’ve met some cracking people and has given me some cracking shooting experiences that I otherwise probably would never have had

I do love shooting driven birds . I’m lucky to get invited to some amazing end of season shoots on some fairly famous shoots . After loading for useless guns , watching them miss and wanting to snatch the gun off them and have a go myself it’s nice to get stuck in . Like you I also get a buzz from running a successful days shooting . I also do a Boxing Day shoot for my helpers and a proper driven day for the beaters and also a “clean up “ day after the beaters day , this is an informal walk around , we try and do a couple of drives but if it happens it happens and there is no pressure. That is my favourite day .

[Stavross 15,322]

So me and the long one had a trip up to the shoot for a go at the foxes, apparently next doors shoot took 4 last night, so heading over to the cut barley and rape we thought we were in with a good chance, sadly when we got there the farm lads were still working the fields and had been most of the day, bailing and muck spreading , we gave it 40 mins or so with the caller at the bottom of the rape field with no luck, moved up to the barley with the same result, I think if we had put in a night shift we could of produced a couple from here but sadly we have to work for a living, heading back to the farm we had a look in the cow field and gave it a couple of mouth squeaks, bingo, within seconds a Fox was charging up the field towards us, as the long one lit it up it clocked us and off it went down the field a quick shout and it stopped about 75 yards away, down it went, turned out to be a dog and although we only managed the one it’s one less to worry about when the birds go in

sorry for the gruesome picture but I wanted to show the complete devastation of the sako 70gn, as I’ve said before nothing runs when hit with these